Health Insurance Companies Question & Answers

2015 March 27

by Sarah Fields

Michael asks…

Health insurance companies in Florida that only ask for 5 years of information?

I was wondering if there are any healthinsurancecompanies that only ask for medical information in the past 5 years. I know the majority of the companies ask for 10 years of medical history. But, I have also heard there are a few that only require information for 5 years on the application. Any help would be appreciated.

Sarah Fields answers:

Call and talk to a agent for info. Some companies will have you list every doctor seen with the address, phone, fax etc. So even if you saw 1 doctor only 1 time, may forget or have to dig thu your records for the name of the doctor and info.

But as a general rule, all companies will have a list of 6 questions that specifically ask you by a yes/no answer if you have been treated or diagnosed with heart, circulatory, lungs, diabetes etc in the last 5 to 10 years, and if so, then you would have to list the doctor.

The reason for the agent, is that they can ask you questions that may or may not affect you finding health insurance period. They will know which companies are best or if there is a problem you will know upfront and they can give you other options.

Good luck

Chris asks…

Does anyone know what some good health insurance companies offer and how they work?

What are some good healthinsurancecompanies? Good meaning
good coverage
low deductible
nothing shady, or in the small print that is kind of dishonest
not expensive for a college student ?
does the deductible include the monthly insurance premium?
Do healthinsurancecompanies ever allow a person to have a policy through their company as well as a policy through another company?
Are there any reasons you may be denied the insurance?

Sarah Fields answers:

There are many good companies, and with health insurance you get what you pay for.

When you shop for a new car you have a choice between the basic low end model with no options, a fully loaded luxury car, or something in between. Health insurance is the same. Most companies have several plans from the basic to the comprehensive. Each plan will have a variety of deductible choices which can range from $0 up to $10,000. If you shop for the cheapest you’ll get the basic low end model which may or may not have the benefits and coverage you are looking for.

Some colleges have policies available, you can try there first to see what options you have.

The deductible does not include the premium, however, with most plans you do not have to meet the deductible before you get the doctor visits or prescriptions for the co-pay.

You can have two policies but they don’t pay twice. One will be the primary policy and will pay first. The second will be the secondary policy and MAY or MAY NOT pay the deductible and co-pays. Usually it is not cost effective to have two policies.

Yes, you can be denied if you have a pre-existing condition or if you are over the height and weight guidelines. Depending on the pre-existing condition you might be accepted but that condition won’t be covered.

Visit a local agent that works with all the major companies in your area. The agent can find the best plan for your situation and budget and can explain what you get and, more importantly, what you won’t get with the plan. There is no extra charge using an agent.

Be very wary of medical discount cards. They are not regulated by the Department of Insurance nor do the people that sell them need to be licensed nor insured. This means you have little recourse when you have problems with the plan. If you are tempted by the low price and claims of “save up to 80%” be aware that very few doctors actually take these cards. It does you little good if you have to drive 4 hours to find a doctor that will accept the card. Montana couldn’t find any doctors in the whole state that actually took the card and only one dentist who was on probation for unlawful activities so they banned the sale of the card and fined the company. See this link http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/11/22/74554.htm for more information. Many other states are starting to ban these cards as well.

Before signing up with any discount plan get a list of doctors. If they won’t give you a list consider it to be a scam. Call the doctors on the list to make sure they’re still taking the card (many don’t even know that they’re listed as a provider) and that they’re accepting new patients.

What reputable health insurance companies are out there?

I would like to pay monthly to a healthinsurance company so my mom could get health check up when she needs it.

Do you know any healthinsurancecompanies that can accept low monthly payments since I don’t get paid that much?
We live in northern california.

Sarah Fields answers:

Well, if she’s 40 and perfectly healthy, it’s going to cost her about $500 a month to have a low/no deductible plan that covers checkups.

You BUY it on a month to month basis. If you want low monthly payments, you have to cut the coverage – like take a $10,000 deductible. Or higher. That would cut payments down to maybe $200 a month or less.

The older she is, the less healthy she is, the more it costs.

Your best bet, is to find a local, independent agent, who can help you balance cost with coverage.